


Brothers

by Transformersfan123



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Amy - Freeform, Amy Rose - Freeform, Anger, Brotherhood, Brothers, Bullying, Chaos, Chaos Emeralds, Childhood Memories, Concussions, Conflict, Dr. Robotnik - Freeform, Drama, Echidna - Freeform, Eggman - Freeform, Family, Family Drama, Fighting, Fox - Freeform, Friendship, Gen, Hate, Head Injury, Hedgehog - Freeform, Injury, Injury Recovery, Lies, Mild Language, Miles Tails Prower - Freeform, Pain, Past Abuse, Post-Concussion Syndrome, Self-Worth Issues, Tails, knuckles - Freeform, knuckles the echidna - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 08:39:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13360743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Transformersfan123/pseuds/Transformersfan123
Summary: Tails had always looked up to Sonic. Always wanted to be like him, his hero. But his view is slightly skewed. Sonic isn't bothered by anything, right? Well, Tails learns the hard way that that isn't necessarily true. But his mistake leads to a revelation about Sonic that the yellow fox never thought about. The pain could draw them closer together. If Tails survives.





	1. Concussion

"Alright, Tails!" Sonic crowed, high-fiving him. "That's a new record! You've never kept up with me that long before!"

Tails smiled, but he decided that he would prefer to breathe before he celebrated. Sonic laughed, patting him on the back, then settled on a log, crossing his legs and leaning back against a rock. The yellow fox finally caught his breath and joined Sonic on the log.

"Boy, Sonic! That was fun!" Tails sighed. "You really think I did better?"

"Of course, Tails! You flew with me for an hour and a half straight! That is definitely a new record!"

Tails beamed at the praise from his hero. He _had_ done better, hadn't he? It made him proud to be short little fox-boy. Sonic always made him forget his height, and his…abnormality. Sure it was useful, but every fox he met laughed at him. No, every _body_ he met laughed at him.

"Something wrong, Tails?" Sonic asked casually.

Tails shook his head and plastered a smile back on his face. "No. Just thinkin' about things. The Tornado needs a few adjustments, and I was tryin' ta think if I need any more tools. I think I have everything."

"Cool. Tails? What do you say we go to Tubby's for lunch?"

"Sounds good!"

Sonic grabbed his wrist and took off, quickly giving out a sonic boom. When they were just about there, Sonic turned.

"You wanna try that new trick?" he asked over the wind.

"Yeah!"

"Three. Two. One!"

Tails started up his tails and his friend released him. He had _never_ gone this fast by himself before. He focused on keeping up. Two minutes later, he was holding strong, and he turned to see Sonic, but he wasn't there.

"Tails!"

The yellow fox looked up to see a building approaching very quickly. He stopped. Or…his tails did. He hit the ground and tumbled head over heels, something snagged his tails…

"Tails! Tails, you okay?"

Tails opened his watering eyes, a nasty throbbing on the back of his head. "Ohhhh. What happened?"

"You hit the building, I slowed you as much as I could, but…Seriously, Tails, are you okay?"

"I've got a headache, but other than that, I feel fine."

Tails stood shakily. He wasn't hungry anymore. The pain was too great. He felt like throwing up.

"Tails?"

"I don't want to eat."

"How much pain are you in?"

Tails looked up after wiping his eyes. Sonic was his hero, the most amazing hedgehog that ever lived. Nothing ever stopped him. Nothing ever _bothered_ him. So this little pain couldn't bother Tails. No, not at all. Because he wanted to be just like Sonic.

"It's fading, Sonic. I just don't think eating _right now_ is a good idea. I'll eat later."

Sonic frowned, looking him over, so he smiled. Sonic shrugged. "Alright then. You mind watching me eat?"

"No. Who knows, maybe it'll make me want food?"

But it didn't. He felt so sick that he nearly threw up four times. But he held it down. Because it wouldn't bother Sonic. Sonic had chatted away through lunch, but had gone silent, studying him.

"Is the pain gone now, Tails?"

"Yeah, I feel alright now." _You're lying to him. Something is wrong. It's not just a minor injury. Tell him the truth._

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." _You're still lying! Tell him! Now!_

"Well, let me take you home, Tails."

"Okay. I think I just need sleep." _Another lie. You probably have a concussion. You need him to take you to the hospital._

But he didn't say a word. He went home, waved Sonic off—"Call if you need anything,Tails. And I mean _anything."_ —popped two Tylenol, set four alarms throughout the house for two hours, and collapsed in exhaustion.

Over the next few days, Tails became sure he'd had a concussion. He was sluggish, confused, tired all the time, light hurt his eyes, noise hurt his ears, and he had trouble with his balance. They started to fade to manageable levels, however, so Tails felt he was fine. He got a knock on the door a week later, and he opened it to reveal Sonic. His smile was genuine.

"Heya, Sonic!" Tails said eagerly.

"Just came to check on ya, buddy. You were acting strange last week. Is your head better?"

"Yeah. It was nothing," Tails said dismissively. _You should tell him. It's important._ Tails gestured Sonic in, then thought to whatever was speaking, _'No. It's not important. It doesn't bother me because it wouldn't bother Sonic.'_

"Got news, Tails! Eggman's after the Emeralds again. What say we go stop him?"

"Okay!" _You know it's dangerous._

He ignored the little voice and was soon happily flying along with Sonic, chatting and laughing about things. Suddenly, Sonic went supersonic, shooting off to bounce off trees as gunfire reached Tails' ears. He laughed, tossing bombs over to destroy the robots. He heard Sonic's laughter, spinning to see Sonic tossing the silver chaos Emerald up in the air.

"Got it, Tails!"

Tails was suddenly struck and launched into a tree, hitting his head hard. Pain lanced through him, and his mind screamed in agony. _I told you that you should have told him! You're probably going to die now!_ Tails realized the sense in this as his vision blurred, and the sounds of Sonic hitting Eggman's machine reverberated inside his head painfully. The sounds suddenly stopped as Tails realized blood was spurting from his ears and nose.

"Sonic! Your…What's wrong with Tails? No, Sonic, I'm serious!"

"T-Tails!"

He knew if he fell asleep, he would probably die. But sleep was the most soothing, most perfect solution for everything.

"Give me that Emerald!"

"I didn't mean for him to—"

"Get the hell out of here before I _kill_ you!"

Tails couldn't see anymore, but he felt a warm burst pass over him that sent him to sleep. His last thought was, _What's wrong with me?_


	2. Nobody

Tails woke to an angry voice.

"What do you mean he had a concussion?!"

"Mr. Sonic, that's exactly what happened. Scans show that he had a concussion. The second impact gave him SIS. If that Emerald hadn't been _right there_ , Tails would be dead. Or severely disabled."

"What could have possibly hit him that…hard…" A frown was in Sonic's voice now. "Are there noticeable symptoms of a concussion? Things that even a person who has it could notice?"

"Yes. Things such as headaches, nausea, vomit—"

"I don't want to hear it. Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes. Because of your quick actions with that Emerald. It must have stopped the bleeding and the swelling. We can still tell he had a concussion, so it didn't take everything away. Doctor's orders are that he is to be monitored. _Closely_ , mind you. I want to see him next week for more scans. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah, doc. I gotcha. I ain't leavin' his side. Trust me."

There was the sound of the door closing half a minute later. Sonic's footsteps came back and sat down somewhere beside him. There was nothing but breathing for a minute. Then Sonic spoke in a low, dangerous tone.

"Did you or did you not know that you had a concussion, Tails?" There was more silence then Sonic literally growled, attesting to their baser animal selves. "Answer me, damn it! I know you're awake."

Tails whimpered and nodded. Sonic swore violently. "How dare you? How dare you?!"

The twin-tailed fox opened his eyes to see his best friend absolutely livid. He noticed that he was in his room in Sonic's rarely lived-in house. Sonic jumped up and started pacing, bringing Tails' attention back to him. He was muttering under his breath, hands twitching, eyes wild.

"Sonic, really I'm just fi—"

"Don't you _dare_ say that, Tails!" Sonic boomed, green eyes holding hellfire. "I just about lost you! You heard that woman! If I hadn't had that Emerald with me _at that moment_ , you would have been _dead_! You're so lucky that Eggman has some sense of honor, twisted as it may be, because _he_ is the one that got you to the hospital so fast! I didn't know what to do! I had never seen you like that! And the _blood!_ There was so much b-blood…"

Sonic dropped to his knees and began to sob. Tails blinked. He had never seen Sonic like that. He was…crying. Because of him. Sonic almost never cried. Tails had only seen it twice. Twice in all the time that he'd known him. Tails got out of bed, caught his balance, and staggered over to his friend.

"Sonic? I'm okay. Really I am," Tails argued softly.

"Why would you lie to me?" Sonic asked, covering his eyes with one hand.

"You never asked if I had a concussion."

"No. But I asked if you were okay when it happened. I asked you again at Tubby's. I asked you again at home. I called you every day and asked, usually at least twice. I knew something had to be wrong. Your voice was slurred. Then I come over and it wasn't. So I thought that it was just the phone connection. I _asked_ you, Tails. And you always said fine. Always."

Tails blushed, looking away. "Part of me knew I should have told you. I didn't listen."

"Why not?"

"I…" Tails sniffled. "I wanted to be like you."

"Be like…me? How is that being like me?"

"You aren't bothered by anything. So I didn't let it bother me."

Sonic moaned. "Really, Tails? That's not…You really think I wouldn't worry about a _concussion?_ " The blue hedgehog paused, looking up. "Lay back down. You need food."

"I'll help."

"You get in that bed or, so help me, I will weld you there."

Tails had heard Sonic speak in that particular tone only to Eggman, and even then, in extremely perilous situations when he was truly considering _killing_ him. He got back into bed without a lick of argument and was left alone with his thoughts. His focus was the cursing. Sonic _never_ cursed, and not just around him. Sonic hated cursing as much as Eggman did. While Tails was certain they had different reasons, the fact was the same: it was _hated_. Yet Tails distinctly remembered cursing. He didn't know what to think.

"Here. Chicken noodle soup. It's hot." Sonic sat down to eat his.

Tails ate gratefully, though he felt a little nauseated when he was done. He set his bowl on the bedside table, swallowing hard.

"What's wrong? And I swear if you say 'nothing' I will kill you myself."

"I just…Nausea. It's not as bad as it was, though. I promise!" Tails said, holding up his hands at the threat in Sonic's eyes.

"Are you going to throw up?"

"I'll tell you if I am. My stomach feels weird for about a minute before I do, and my mouth waters."

"Alright then." Sonic took the bowls out to the kitchen then returned with several bottles of water.

"Drink. Finish one. But don't make yourself sick."

"I take it you went to the store?" Tails asked, drinking about a quarter of the bottle.

"Yeah. I'm going to have to go again. Chicken noodle soup is all well and good, but I don't have enough for us to last a week. And I know for a fact that _I_ will be sick and tired of it by day two."

"Oh. Well you can go, I won't mind."

Sonic appraised him. "You will either be in bed or the bathroom when I get back. Or else."

"I don't feel like doing much. I have a headache."

Sonic was gone and back in three seconds. "Here. Take one. If it doesn't get better within half an hour, take the other one. I will be back in thirty minutes, tops. Bed or bathroom. Understand?"

"Yes, Sonic."

For ten minutes, Tails sipped on his water until it was down then decided to take a shower. His fur was matted from sweat. Not just sweat, he discovered, but blood. He must have bled a little since they cleaned him up at the hospital. Once he got in the flow of warm water, he didn't want to do anything but sit there. That's how Sonic found him seven minutes later. Sonic watched him for a minute.

"Tails? You okay?"

"Ye…No. I'm not okay. I feel sick. I think I have a fever, I'm still hungry, I've got a headache, my vision's a little blurry, the light hurts my eyes, the water hitting the tub makes my ears hurt, I feel like I'm moving through mud, thinking is nearly impossible, and I'm exhausted."

Sonic took that in then turned off the water. He steadied Tails when he got out then toweled him off as best as he could. After supporting Tails over to his bed, he blurred away and came back with…

"Cheese pizza!" Tails' eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Oh, Sonic, thank you!"

"Eh, no problem. I can go get another tomorrow. Eat slow, okay?"

Tails finished two pieces then couldn't eat anymore so Sonic polished it off. When he had thrown the box away. Tails popped the other Tylenol then lay back. Sonic brought a book into the room and began to read. The fox watched Sonic, his two tails resting on his side. He stared at them and shifted.

"Part of the reason I didn't tell you was because I wanted to be like you. The other part was because I didn't want you to know how…uncool I am. I'm nothing like you, Sonic. I'm a geek. Everybody we meet makes fun of my…abnormality. Even foxes. Especially foxes. Part of me was afraid, no, _is_ afraid that you'll make fun of me, too. I can't control that I was born with it. Just…don't hate me…"

Tails was still staring at his tails. He felt Sonic's weighty gaze on him. There was a _thump_ as the book hit the floor.

"Tails, look at me."

"N-no."

"Why not?"

"Then I'll c-cry."

"Who cares? It's fine to cry when you're with friends. I'm tryin' to be here for you Tails, and you're makin' it hard. Don't you trust me?"

"I don't know." Tails' voice was small now, and he was beginning to lose the fight.

"Why don't you know?"

"Because I can't trust anybody with me. I always get hurt. My parents. My uncle. My cousins. They all just abandoned me because I'm a worthless freak that they don't have time for."

Sonic crawled up on the bed, Tails still refusing to look at him. He wrapped his arms around the fox then tilted his head up. The younger being began to cry, just as he said he would. Sonic didn't care about his abnormality, and that alone made the eight-year-old sob and cuddle close. His back was stroked as the hedgehog just held him. That was more than any of his family had ever done, and he told Sonic that when he was just tiredly relaxing into his friend.

"I ain't them, Tails. I'm part of you _real_ family. I'm your big brother. And nobody is allowed to make fun of you. You tell me when they do, and I'll set 'em straight. I guarantee you that I will."

Tails giggled. "I guess it's nice to have a big brother."

"Yeah. We're both freaks."

Tails looked up at the blue hedgehog. "What?"

Sonic met his eyes, and, to Tails' immense surprise, there were tears in them. "You think I wasn't made fun of, Tails? You think they didn't point and laugh when I couldn't control how fast I went? When I slammed into people, animals, _buildings_ with no control? Yeah, you think I'm cool now, but there is a reason I won't go back to Christmas Island. I know this is hard to believe, but it's the truth. All I am is a freak who's saved the world a gazillion times. That gets you some street cred."

"I never…I didn't know that, Sonic."

"Nobody does. Nobody but the people on Christmas Island. And me. And now you."

"Why wouldn't people think going supersonic is cool?"

"Why wouldn't people think flying at speeds past Mach 1 for over an hour is cool?"

Tails blinked. "Really?"

"Yep. Trust me on this, Tails. It's only cool if you've done something for them. And both of us have. So I'm gonna straighten them out." Sonic punched his own palm. "Because _nobody_ gets to hurt my little brother. Now, I want you to sleep. You've had a long, tiring few days."

"Could you stay in here with me?"

"Sure."

Tails snuggled close, closing his heavy eyes. He drifted contentedly off to sleep, and when he woke up, Sonic was there. Sonic was always there. And Tails didn't have to pretend anymore. It was a relief. And as they ate burgers for lunch, Tails realized that he didn't have to be afraid of Sonic anymore. He wasn't being thrown away. Tails giggled at a thought, and Sonic looked at him questioningly as he swallowed.

"I was just thinkin' about what you said. And I think the reverse is true, too!"

"Which is?

"Nobody gets to hurt my _big_ brother, either!"

They laughed joyfully. "I think that's the truest thing I've ever heard. What would you do, though?"

"How do I defeat Eggman robots one on ten?"

Sonic snickered. "Bombs."

"Electro-shock should do it. I'll have to carry more on me."

The yellow fox smiled as Sonic laughed, but he was dead serious. Nobody got to hurt his big brother. Nobody. And he would make sure of it.


	3. Reasons

They were laughing at him. He had fought Sonic on coming here. He had told his friend that there the number of foxes in this village was disproportionate to every other kind of creature. He hadn't told him the _main_ reason he didn't want to go. Though it was pleasant on the outside, with neat buildings and sidewalks and streets so clean you could eat off of them, it made a deep pain settle in Tails' gut. It was his home village.

Tails had been searching for the Emerald. They were after the sixth Emerald. Eggman had five, and the seventh hadn't been found yet. It didn't appear to be on the mainland, which was problematic. Tails couldn't just sweep the whole ocean, so he had to do it island by island, which was slow, arduous work. Tails had separated from his team, Amy, Knuckles, and Sonic, to try and pinpoint where the Emerald's signal was coming from when he had run into his tormentors. He was now trying not to cry.

"Looks like Miles hasn't changed a bit!" Tease, his aptly-named older brother, his _biological,_ _seventeen-year-old_ brother, chortled. He was a very light colored version of his younger brother with small, beady red eyes. And, of course, he was a foot taller than Tails, which Tails had already gotten grief about.

"Twin-tailed freak!" Kyle, a fourteen-year-old, orange-red fox, quipped, earning a big laugh even though that was the only quip he ever used.

"Shut up, all of you!" Liliana, Tails' one and only sister and the second born of his house, barked. She was the same yellow color as her little brother, had pretty blue eyes, and carried herself like royalty. They didn't care though.

"Aw, go play babysitter, girlie," Tease growled.

"Yo! Tails! Where are ya, buddy?" Sonic's voice hollered from way down the street.

"Ha! Tails!" they boomed, laughing all the harder as Tails took off at his fastest footpace to get to Sonic. He felt awful.

"Hey, you okay Tails?" Knuckles asked when he saw the look on his face.

Sonic turned around immediately. His ear flicked as he heard laughter from the direction that his little brother had come from.

"I'll just go have a word with them."

"Don't bother," Tails muttered. "Nothing you say will change their attitudes."

"We'll see about that."

"Miles is right, Sonic the Hedgehog," a female said as she stopped behind Tails. "They believe he is the biggest freak in the universe because of his…"

"Abnormality," Tails muttered.

"And you are?"

"This is Liliana. She's my sister, Sonic. My _biological_ sister," he added.

"What is your take on his abnormality?" Amy Rose asked, narrowing her eyes as she and Knuckles crossed their arms and looked threatening. A week ago, they had participated in quite the conversation with Sonic and Tails, and they were now 'older siblings' as well. They took the role with great pleasure.

"Without his twin-tails, Miles wouldn't be himself. When he left, he was trying to learn how to fly. If he is the Tails that we hear rumors about, he has clearly perfected it. Can you fly, little brother?"

"Um…yeah, a little."

"A little? Ha!" Sonic laughed. "He can keep up with me at speeds over Mach 1 for over two hours now! I'd say that's more than 'a little', wouldn't you Tails?"

"Impressive. But isn't that offensive, little brother?"

"Them calling me Tails? No. It isn't. They love me more than most people in this town, and you're the only exception to the rule. You and Trixie. Where is she?"

"Trixie's in a physics class, and she won't come out of her room. She's alternating between doing her homework and nursing a massive headache."

"Yeah. Physics is tricky. I could help her if she wants."

"…Aren't you only eight?"

"You knew I was smart, Lily."

"Where did you learn _physics_?! That stuff's so hard that it makes my brain hurt."

"I taught myself. There's enough stuff online to teach you. Just gotta find a few reliable sites."

"What do you do with your time now that you've mastered the known universe?"

Tails laughed. "I'm working on a new Tornado at the moment. That's a very fast plane. I have a lot of 'em. They all do different things, but all of 'em can go supersonic so I can keep up with Sonic. I can't go that fast by myself yet. I might never be able to."

"Tails, speed is _my_ thing," Sonic said, still scrutinizing the female fox. "You focus on sustaining flight and living heavy loads. If you need to go faster than Mach 1, _I_ will help you. Got it?"

"Lifting heavy loads _in the air_ ," Knuckles put in. "Anything on the ground is my territory. We each have a role to play. Don't try to play ours. That isn't your place."

Liliana nodded. "I see that wisdom abounds amongst your friends, and I approve greatly. I have my own separate house now. How would you like to come over for dinner?"

"Sure!" Tails said eagerly. "Can you make that pudding I like?"

"Definitely. Say…six tonight?"

"Sounds good, Lily. We gotta look for something first," Sonic said.

They needed to find the purple chaos Emerald before the doctor did, and Tails' computers indicated that it was in the forest outside of Trotting Village. The trees were towering, attesting to how old the forest was. The foliage was beautiful, the heart-shaped leaves blowing gently in the breeze. The smell of decaying leaves filled the air, and it was pleasant to the fox's nose. It made him miss his home a little. Then he heard the echoes of past jeers and laughter, and the desire decided to disappear.

Tails pulled his tracker out of the bag at his hip, but hadn't turned it on before his siblings and friends were in front of him.

"Does she really not think you're weird?" Sonic demanded.

Tails frowned. "I didn't say that. I _am_ weird. But she doesn't make fun of me for it. That's the best you're gonna get, Sonic. She really loves me, and is the only person who hasn't teased me and meant it in this place."

"But she has teased you?" Amy growled.

"Yes. But you do, too. All three of you do. And I tease you back. That's what you do when you love somebody. You tease. But it's playful, not hurtful. Most of the teasing I went through was mean. _Is_ mean." He paused then looked up, tears in his eyes. "I hope Eggman attacks this place."

"Tails, you don't mean that," Knuckles said gently.

"Yes, I do. Maybe if I help save them, they'll stop making fun of me."

"Don't hope for satisfaction from it, Tails," Sonic said in a low voice. "It doesn't happen."

"So you saved them? The whole island?"

"Yeah. Twice. They stopped making fun of me, they respected me, but it still wasn't right. It didn't make me happy."

"Who?" Amy Rose asked.

Sonic's wall went up. "Let's find this Emerald."

"Sonic? They're our friends," Tails said softly. "They won't laugh at you."

"I just…They wouldn't care."

"Wouldn't care about what?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic hesitated. "Do your really want to know why I left Christmas Island?"

Knuckles raised his eyebrows, glancing at Amy. "If you feel like sharing."

"Sure," Amy said, shrugging.

"I was an awkward kid, believe it or not," Sonic started as Tails began tracking the Emerald. "I was born with super speed, but it didn't kick in until I was five. It…wasn't gentle."

"Gentle?" Amy asked. They started following Tails as he walked, swinging the tracker this way and that.

"Your super speed developed gradually. Even then it still isn't as fast as mine. Not nearly. I found out the hard way that my speed had kicked in. I went supersonic during a race I was losing. Nearly drowned in the ocean before a fisherman fished me out of the water. Hence, why I never learned to swim."

"That sounds…awful," Amy said.

"It is," Knuckles said grimly. "I had an accident when my strength did the same thing with a moose. Luckily, the poor thing died instantly. I broke every single rib it had. I didn't like touching living things for a while."

Sonic nodded dejectedly. "Yeah. After that…people treated me different. Really different. It didn't help that I couldn't control it _at all_ when it first started. 'Come here right now!' or 'Hurry up!' or things like it was usually followed by something breaking, whether it be dishes or furniture or me or…or somebody else. People only said it to me to make fun of me after a while.

"It built up and built up and built up until I ran away from home, though I stayed on the island. I found nice, long, secluded strips between the mountains, passes that were considered too dangerous to be used anymore. Then…I practiced. And practiced. And practiced. And practiced."

Sonic paused, taking a deep breath. "I still didn't have the level of control that I have today, but by the time I went home, I didn't run into everything. Somebody could say, 'Hurry up!' and I could get there quickly, but in a manageable way. Then Eggman showed up."

"Wait! You met _Eggman_ on Christmas Island?!" Tails gasped.

"I thought you'd heard the story," Knuckles said.

"No. I just had the bare-boned run-through. I didn't know the specifics. Oh, please continue, Sonic!"

The blue hedgehog nodded, smiling. "I feel like sharing a lot. Anyways, Eggman heard of me, and he…he used me to get an Emerald. Then he told me how he wanted to take over the world. I was, to put it lightly, horrified. He was going to start with Christmas Island. So I stopped him. He came back a month later, bent on revenge. I stopped him again. He swore he would end me, and I swore that I would stop him every time he tried to take over the world."

Sonic stopped smiling and his eyes stared at nothing as his face went blank. "After that…everybody loved me. Or…they stopped making fun of me in the open. That didn't make me happy. They just loved what I did for them. They still whispered about how freaky I was. There was this…hostility about me. They didn't love me. They just wanted what I gave them. I heard that Eggman was planning another takeover when I was fourteen so I decided to keep my promise."

"Eh, at least you know your past," Knuckles said with a shrug. "I don't know where I came from. I've been there for fifteen years with nobody to talk to until Eggman decided to trick me, and I met Blue Blunder and Twin-Tailed Wonder."

"Yeah? I didn't have much of a childhood," Amy said bitterly. "Daddy left when I was five. I had to grow up and take care of my little three-year-old twin sisters because Mom had to work. I wanted to be free, so when I turned eleven, I ran away. Sissa and Annabelle were old enough to take care of themselves. Before I walked out the door, Mom said, 'If you leave, don't you ever come back.' So I left. Now I can't go back."

"Oh, Amy," Sonic sighed then frowned and pecked her cheek. She jumped and smiled.

"Thank you, Sonic," she sniffled.

"Don't expect it a lot," he said sternly.

"I won't, Sonic. I won't."

Tails' machine beeped violently, and Tails looked up to see an enormous rock. "Knuckles? It encased itself."

"You got it Tails," he said with a nod.

Seconds later, Tails flew up and grabbed the Emerald. "Ha! Take that, Eggman." He landed then looked at Sonic. "Sonic? Thanks for tellin' us this stuff. It's nice to know you're not perfect."

"Heh. Fox boy's got a point," Knuckles said, giving his customary crooked smile.

"I still love ya, Sonic!" Amy said, dashing over to kiss his…

"Not happening, Amy," he said with a smile, lounging on a thick branch as he leaned against the tree he'd just shot up.

Amy pouted as Sonic appeared in front of them again.

"Come on. We gotta get to dinner!" Sonic said happily, taking the Emerald from his friend, subspacing it. "I'm starving!"

"When isn't he?" Knuckles laughed under his breath.

Tails and Amy laughed, following behind Sonic, who turned and stuck out his tongue. They hurried over to Lily's house, where they were greeted warmly, and they met Trixie, who, to their surprise, wasn't a fox, but a falcon. Once the laugh was had, they sat down to dinner, talking about Tails, who sat there looking down. He had been serious. He wanted Eggman to attack. Badly.


	4. Breaking Point

He got his wish. Tails watched silently as Eggman called out for his 'cowardly' opponents to show themselves. Sonic had run to meet with Shadow, Rouge, and Omega, the former of which wanted their Emeralds back. So it was just him, Amy, and Knuckles. He moved to go out to start the fight when his right tail was jerked on.

"Miles!" a voice whispered.

Tails turned to see his tormentors hiding behind a building. "What?"

"Get back here! He'll kill you!"

Tails blinked. "No he won't. I've been fighting him for over a year and he hasn't managed to yet."

With that, and leaving shocked faces behind him, he turned and sped over to stand in front of Eggman.

"Give us those Emeralds, Egghead!" Tails said boldly. "Shadow and Rouge want theirs back!"

"They're mine now, little pest! Is it just you I'm fighting today or is that Blue Blunder here?"

"Can it, Eggman!" Knuckles barked, dashing out to stand beside Tails. Amy followed.

"Ooh hoo! So Blue Blunder _isn't_ here! This'll be too easy! Attack!"

The robots launched out of the enormous machine behind Eggman. Eggman himself was in a giant suit of metal and machinery. It possessed his customary colors of red, black, and yellow.

"What're we doin' Tails?" Knuckles asked in a low voice as the robots armed their guns.

"Nothing!" Lily screeched, lunging forward.

"Lily!" Tails heard the guns click in place, and he made his decision. He hadn't flown in front of anybody from his town. Now he had no choice. He started his tails as Amy and Knuckles each grabbed her in one hand, and his ankles with the other. He launched himself up and flew as high as he could before dashing forward, forcing the robots to turn. Tails got an enormous burst of satisfaction from the townsfolks' cries of amazement. He kicked out hard and Knuckles and Amy shot off, hitting the ground and unrolling. They dropped Lily.

"Stay here, sis!" Tails said as Amy leaped up and grabbed his ankles. Knuckles grabbed hers.

"B-but, Miles!"

"No buts. That is a direct order. Stay out of the way! That moron hasn't managed to kill me yet, and he won't get me this time!"

"I'll show you who's a moron, Shorty!"

The fight began. Despite his strength, Tails noticed that Knuckles was doing minimal damage to the outer shell. Amy was taking care of the little robots, so Tails began to do what he did best. He began to think. Dodging missiles, he flew around, drawing a mental picture. He finally whistled.

"Amy! I need you to give us a speed boost!"

"Kinda busy, Tails!"

"Move!" Tails counted the robots left and pulled out eight hand bombs. He tossed them with pinpoint accuracy then detonated them. That took care of the robots.

The young fox didn't spare a single thought for the townsfolk, but that didn't mean they weren't watching with gaping mouths. This was their little Miles Prower? Nearly everybody became nervous. He was apparently quite the powerful little fox now. And they had been making fun of him. They watched as Tails armed more bombs.

"These are electro! They should disable the shield, but only for a few seconds. You need to launch Amy as fast and hard as you possibly can at the center of the chests about a foot down, Knuckles!"

"Got it!" Knuckles barked then looked worriedly at Amy. "But…she's not Sonic, Tails."

"I can take it, no problem!" Amy laughed.

"Get ready then!"

Tails bounced the bombs several times then threw them, screaming, "Now!" a second later.

There was a grunt as Knuckles flung a spinning Amy at the thing's chest. The electricity _zapped_ and there was a huge _bang!_ as Amy nailed it right where Tails had wanted. She hit the ground with the machine, and Tails shot forward to begin pulling critical lines and wires that controlled movement. The giant exosuit began buzzing and twitching. The glass dome shot up to reveal, to no surprise for the Team Sonic crew, that it was a secondary vehicle.

There was a sharp whining whistle and Sonic and Shadow slammed into it. The six Chaos Emeralds scattered over the ground, but, to the complete expectancy of the Sonic Team _and_ the Shadow Team, they gathered around the wreckage to stare at a dummy.

"I swear that man is faster than Sonic," Rouge laughed.

"Watch it, Rouge," Shadow snorted. "Sonic might hit you over that one."

Sonic glared at them as they snickered together. Tails collected all the Emeralds, subspacing all but the purple and the red.

"Here ya go," Tails said jovially, holding them out.

"I get two," Shadow said as Rouge snagged her purple one greedily.

"Do you now?" Knuckles asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, he does," Sonic said. "It is extremely hard to beat him, and we need to spread the Emeralds out. He's going to hide one and use the other, Knuckles, you will get one, Tails will get one, and I will get one. You can either keep it or hide it, but keep in mind that Egghead will get it eventually."

"What color do you want?" Tails asked.

"Does it look like I care, Shorty?"

"Watch it, Shadow. I'll fight you over that sort of thing," Sonic promised.

"Fine. Give me the stupid turquoise one."

Tails did so, and Team Shadow left as quickly as they'd come. Knuckles frowned. "I don't get them, Sonic."

"They have a different upbringing. And all of them are older than all of us. Especially Shadow. Just don't think about it," Sonic muttered. "Now, who wants to place bets on a tunnel?"

"It's either that or Metal Sonic again," Amy growled. "Now _that_ was annoying!"

Knuckles lifted the suit away and Tails snorted. "A tunnel. Big surprise."

"Yes, you are," Lily said as she approached. The rest of the town came out of hiding, staring at Tails with big, frightened eyes.

"What?"

"You…You beat that thing."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, but Knuckles and Amy helped me."

"No. _You_ beat that thing," Tease said.

"They helped."

"But they coulda fought it for hours and not done any damage! _You_ figured out how to hurt it!"

"Um…" Tails looked around, and he suddenly understood why Sonic had left Christmas Island. He weighed his options for a second then decided to show off. "Yeah. I did. I figured that an electric current would stop the shield generator from firing. It's Eggman, so the shield would have a backup power source, so I had to shut them both down, and these bombs that I made give quite the _pow_ , so I figured five of them should disable it long enough for a chance of a direct tactical hit if timed right."

Dead silence. Even Knuckles and Amy were gaping at him. Sonic was clearly trying not to laugh. Trixie blinked, the least dazed.

"But how did you know what wires to pull?"

"Simple. The amount of machinery inside forces a dense series of coiled gears. The mainframe of the computer used to power the machine would have to be in the very center, so a direct attack against that is discouraged. However, because of how coiled it is, there is no room for the lines to run to the rest of the machine to give commands. That presents quite the problem, but the outer casing is raised ever so slightly from the rest of the metal, meaning that the controls go from the mainframe to the outside of the inner casing to go to the rest of the parts to control them. A hit in the very middle of the chest would prove a great asset, assuming we could get through the outer layer. I had no doubt we would, and I simply pulled the power lines that controlled the movement of the weapons, arms and legs, leaving it helpless. Any questions?"

They were gaping again, and Sonic bumped Amy and Knuckles, who were trying to process this. He winked then spoke up.

"I have one."

"Yes, Sonic?"

"How long did it take you to figure that out?"

Tails beamed, happy Sonic was playing along. "Oh, half a minute tops."

Knuckles and Amy burst out laughing. "Wow, Tails, I forget how smart you are sometimes!" the echidna crowed.

"I won't, after that!" Amy exclaimed.

The foxes were frowning. "You're lying," Tease growled.

"I could open the casing and prove it," Tails said; he figured this would happen, and he was prepared.

Tease stormed up, and Tails stood tall, his blue eyes blazing. He knew it would hurt, and he knew that Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy believed that Tease wouldn't do it. His brother was going to prove them wrong.

The strike was quick and painful, and he felt his eye swelling immediately. Lily screamed as Sonic and Amy jerked him back, and Tails saw Knuckles send Tease through a full-grown tree. The foxes backed up, looking frightened.

"Okay," Sonic growled. _"Now_ you've pissed me off!"

" _Us_ , Sonic," Knuckles snarled, purple eyes practically glowing in hatred. "He has pissed _us_ off. And he has done so _royally_."

Tease was bleeding from one cut on his face and five on his back. He had, to the great pleasure of the others, a black eye.

"You freaks belong together!" he spat. "Get out of our lives!"

"You can't do that! Just because Father and Mother aren't here, that doesn't make you leader!" Lily shrieked. She and Trixie had dashed over to stand between them.

"Hey _Tails?_ You wanna to know something? Something Mommy and Daddy never told you?" Tease demanded.

"Don't you dare," Trixie said in a low voice.

Tease shoved by them and got as close as Sonic and Knuckles would let him, staring into his younger brother's eyes.

"The doctor wanted to kill you at birth. Mom and Dad agreed without a second thought. It was Liliana that saved your sorry butt. She stole you and ran away. By the time we found you, you were fully aware. No baby should be that aware, but you were. You've always been the little freak of the family. Too smart for your own good. And those ridiculous _tails_ of yours. You're a monster, and you will always be a monster."

"You son of a—!" Sonic roared, but Tails interrupted by pushed through, facing down his biological brother.

"Yeah? Well I've researched my abnormality. It's _genetic_ , and once appears, _it stays_. Do you know what that means? It means that you and Lily have a hundred percent chance of _passing on_ the gene, and a fifty percent chance of _producing_ a _monster_ like _me!_ So you're just going to have to kill all the children that have two tails. Because they _will be there._ I know you always wanted a little fella to be just like you. Well, he can be in every way. Except he'll have two tails!"

Tails had been palming something for the duration of the speech. He slammed the item on Tease's chest. Tease looked down to see a blinking light.

"See how you like this, mother—"

"Tails!" Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy gasped as he pressed the button. Electricity zapped along the fox's body and he collapsed when it had dissipated.

"Fifty thousand volts sure hurts, don't it?" Tails mocked then stepped over his brother, launched himself in the air, and stormed off.

He flew as fast as he could, blinded by tears, and he didn't care if he got lost. He must have flown for fifteen minutes before he was grabbed and pulled to the ground. He screamed, fighting desperately, but he was held still. When he became aware of things, he found himself in Knuckles' arms. Sonic and Amy were watching him worriedly.

"You okay, Tails?" Sonic asked gently.

"I don't know. I knew they had said that, but I made myself forget," Tails said hoarsely.

"How did you know?" Amy asked.

"I have an eidetic memory. Tease said that I was aware? That's what he meant. I bit the doctor. But not because I understood what he was saying, or what was going to happen. But because Lily was screaming and crying. She had fed me milk, and watched me for a few days, so I loved her as much as my tiny mind could at that point. I remember her muttering, and now I can decipher what she was saying. They really did want to kill me."

"I'm sorry, Tails. I'm sorry," Sonic said, pulling him into his blue arms.

Tails cried some more then just lay there, breathing steadily. Sonic sat him up when he figured he was calm enough.

"Tails…You can't say those sorts of things."

"What sorts of things?" Tails asked.

"What you said to your brother. The MF word."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I know it was bad, but…he just wanted to hurt me. So I needed to hurt him back."

"I don't think any of us blame you for zapping the idiot," Knuckles said with a nod. "But you are not old enough to curse. Especially not like that. You can't say it again."

"If any of us hear it, or hear about it, I think we'd all agree punishment is in order," Amy added.

Tails looked down into his lap. They all sounded serious. And upset. But he couldn't conjure any more tears. So he sniffled and nodded.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about what I was saying. I won't do it again."

"Good," Sonic said, rubbing his head affectionately. "Now, let's go get some food. The Windy City is nearby, and I'm up for some Chicago-style pizza!"

"Yum!" Tails exclaimed.

"You flyin', buddy?" Sonic asked, grabbing Knuckles wrist and turning to look at him.

"I…No. I don't think so. I'm tired."

He didn't mean physical tiredness, and everybody knew it. Nobody mentioned it, though, and Sonic grabbed the outstretched wrist.

"Wanna race, Amy?"

"Haha, no," she said blandly. "Just make sure I can keep up, Sonic."

"You got it, Ames."

They took off in a blur, and Tails fought to get the laughter out of his head. His tracker beeped, and he pulled out the device to look at the screen. He paled. It had pinpointed the last Emerald. He wanted to curse again.


	5. My Big Brother!

Sonic was dead silent as the boat pulled into the ferry. Shadow harrumphed.

"Come on, Sonic. It's not that bad."

"Hey! Sonic's back!"

"Screw you, Shadow," Sonic muttered then turned to see the gathering crowd. They were all talking excitedly.

Sonic's face was stony as he marched off the boat, and into his own personal hell. They all wanted to be near him. The mayor of the town was waiting. He was a large purple cat with slits for pupils. Sonic was shocked he'd been reelected.

"Sonic the Hedgehog! It is good to see you remember where you came from."

"Hard to forget, Bumbles," Sonic replied, eyes and voice devoid of emotion.

"What brings you here?"

"Chaos Emerald."

"We haven't see one around here," Bumbles said.

"They tend to hide," Shadow said when it was apparent that Sonic wasn't going to grace that with an answer.

"Yeah," Tails said, eyes glued on his brother. "Have there been any noticeable changes in scenery?"

"There was an earthquake about two months ago. The epicenter was somewhere near the Jagged Peaks."

Sonic paled but stayed silent.

"Hey, Sonic, can we get a quote?" a beige porcupine asked, holding up a camera while his yellow goose partner held a recorder.

"Yeah, Peter, you can take that camera and—" Sonic started. Knuckles slammed his gloved hand over the porcupine's lens as Tails slammed his hand over Sonic's mouth.

"And what?" Shadow asked, smirking.

"Nothing," Sonic growled. "Let's just get to the Jagged Peaks." He grabbed Tails and Knuckles and shot out of there so fast that he broke the sound barrier. Shadow followed with Rouge, Omega, and Amy half a second later. They slowed outside of town to see Sonic muttering to himself.

"Wow, Blue Boy. I thought you were going to swear on the record," Shadow snickered.

"Shut your _damn_ , mouth, Shadow," Sonic mocked.

"Ha! So you _do_ know curse words!" Rouge laughed.

"Yeah? You know what you can do?"

"Sonic!" Knuckles barked. "We need to get to the Jagged Peaks!"

"Yeah, the good news keeps on coming!" Sonic spat.

"Why isn't that good news?" Tails asked.

"Because that's where my parents fell to their deaths."

With that, Sonic began walking, arms crossed. Even Rouge and Shadow had nothing to say about that. At all. They didn't know _what_ to say to an admittance like that. Amy dashed over to him.

"Sonic?"

"What?"

"Stop for a second."

He did so, tears in his eyes. "What?"

She kissed him. It was chaste, but it was long. The tears fell freely by the time she pulled away. He sniffled and wiped them away.

"Thanks, Amy. Let's get to my personal hell inside my personal hell."

They dashed off and were there much too soon in Sonic's case.

"Nobody but Rouge and Tails go past that crack. The cliff is crumbling which is how my parents…Anyway, we got to find that Emerald. Eggman will be here any time."

They searched the tall, leafy trees and scattered, red rocks. Soon the only option was staring them in the face. Sonic watched nervously as Tails and Rouge flew down and began searching the cliff face. They came up empty and tired.

"It's just not there, Sonic," Tails said sadly.

"Well, let's get to our hotel rooms," Sonic said. "With as little interaction as possible, please."

They had a suite to themselves at the best hotel in town, but Sonic accepted the gift bitterly. They called out for food, eating greedily. Except for the blue hedgehog, who only picked half-heartedly at his chili dogs.

"Why do you hate them so much?" Shadow finally asked.

"They only love what I've done for them and the world. They care nothing for me."

"I know the feeling," Rouge said.

"Yes," Shadow replied then took another bite of his cheeseburger.

"At least I'm not alone," Sonic sighed, not pressing for information. He then took a bite of his food.

They went to bed early and got up to explosions. Sonic grinned.

"Alright! Let's go kick some Eggman butt!"

He was in a hovering device this time, and he looked gleeful at his challenge for the day.

"Looks like Team Dark is here, too! Goody, goody! Prepare to meet your demise, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Think again, Eggman!" Sonic mocked.

A gun fired, and they scattered. Tails noticed the cameras trying to record that. Sonic wouldn't want that, so he threw out his electro-bombs and destroyed all of them. Once the news crews had stood up, they glared at Tails, who smirked then turned back to the battle.

Ten minutes later, Eggman had pulled his vanishing trick again, leaving his emerald. Tails picked it up as Sonic shook hands with Shadow and Rouge. Suddenly he was pushed violently.

"You little rat!" one of the cameramen snarled.

"Sonic doesn't want you recording him!" Tails spat.

He was pushed again, and he sat down hard. The beaver stood over him.

"He isn't worth anything but video footage. He's still just as big of a jerk, and an even bigger freak. Now, we're going to take some pictures."

"You take it back," Tails growled in a deadly voice.

"That's he's a freak?" the green beaver asked. "No."

There was a huge zapping of energy, and Sonic turned to see every news crew writhing on the ground.

"Tails!" Knuckles gasped.

"Let off the button!" Amy ordered.

Tails obeyed. "Next time you say it, it'll be worse for you," he promised then turned and stormed back to the hotel room.

"Why did you do it, Tails?" Sonic asked when they had all settled in for lunch before heading back to the mainland.

"Simple," Tails said, taking a big bite of cheese pizza. He swallowed then grinned. "Nobody gets to mess with my big brother."

Sonic blinked at him then smiled, mussing the fur on top of his head. "Yeah. Nobody gets to mess with you either. Now give me a piece of that!"


End file.
